International Labour Day: Yousafzai promises to raise labour issues in assembly

Says they should stand united and raise voice for their rights.

PESHAWAR:

If labourers unite and stand for their rights, they will become a great force in the country.

This was stated by Minister for Industries Shaukat Yousafzai on Thursday while addressing participants at Peshawar Press Club during a seminar organised by the Pakistan Workers Federation.

The minister said it was unfortunate that previous governments were corrupt and only worked for their own benefits while denying people their rights.

He said they took advantage of poor labourers who were helpless and could not object to unfair practices. For the past 67 years, whenever labourers united and raised their voice, society’s elite suppressed them, he added.

“In every country wages increase according to inflation but in Pakistan they increase according to employers’ wishes,” lamented Yousafzai.

He added Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) was the only province in the country where laws have been made to protect the rights of workers. “We have observed that owners of various industries are not following labour laws,” he said, adding some were only paying Rs4,000 to 5,000 per month even though the minimum wage was Rs10,000.



He urged labourers to unite so they are strong enough to resist the injustices being meted out to them. Pakistan Workers Federation Provincial President Fakhar Alam also highlighted the problems faced by employees and demanded the government properly implement the country’s labour laws.

The minister assured them that he will raise their issue in the next provincial assembly session and take up the matter with the chief minister himself.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2014.